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Not long ago, BA was flying high and making millions, but the turbulent global economy has seen its profits plunge. And even the last three months gearing up to the lucrative holiday season have failed to lift the downward trend.
"Unless this airline can very very quickly change and adapt to a market which may never be the same again, never be as strong as it was in 2006 and 2005. Then I'm afraid British Airways' problems will continue."
British Airways is facing a number of difficulties. Demand for air travel is dropping during the recession. And the airline has been hit hard by a fall in premium passengers with first class and business bookings down 15%. BA's vast workforce of 40,000 has also added to the overheads. Wages alone cost a whopping 2.2 billion pounds. And rising fuel costs remain a problem as the price of oil hits a record high last year. In response, BA is taking action, scrapping meals on short-haul flights, cutting thousands of jobs and more controversially, asking staff to work for free this month. BA boss Willie Walsh did but relatively few followed his example. He also wants to renegotiate every employee's contract, something that could well cause strikes. These are dark days for aviation, BA desperately needs to settle its staff dispute and streamline its operations if it's to limit the damage the months ahead.
the lucrative holiday season 黄金假期
premium passengers 高端乘客
short-haul flights 短途航班
to the overheads 运营经费